<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (rewrite) by VioletEyedJedi</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26903515">Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (rewrite)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletEyedJedi/pseuds/VioletEyedJedi'>VioletEyedJedi</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ben lives, F/M, Happy Ending, Multi, basically the same plot but with key changes, endgame reylo, no Rey Palpatine dw, show that it is indeed possible to take their crap and turn it to gold, spite TROS rewrite</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 23:20:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,782</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26903515</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletEyedJedi/pseuds/VioletEyedJedi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Rise of Skywalker follows Rey, Finn, Poe, and Rose as they lead the Resistance's final stand against the First Order. Old enemies return, new alliances are formed, and the galaxy is forever changed in the conclusion to the Skywalker saga.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Finn/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The hidden Emperor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So before I start...some context.<br/>I wrote a bunch of meta threads about a year ago (leading up to the week before the release of TROS). I had read the dreaded leaks, and I believed that they were...partially right. But I held out hope that the writers would write a competent story that included things like setup and payoff, and didn't spit on its predecessor. Long story short, I ended up creating a story for myself around certain plot beats and locations in the trailers. It wasn't what resembled the final version.</p>
<p>Recent events and discourse have caused me to re-examine my relationship to the movie, and part of that means finally writing down something resembling story that I had dreamed up a year ago.</p>
<p>To be clear, this is going to skew very closely to the plot of TROS. I will be using the same locations, and the same general sequence of chronological events. But I am cherry-picking things to keep and things to change or outright discard. Some characters will end up having vastly different arcs than they did in the movie (for good reason). I am also keeping a couple of things that readers might not particularly enjoy seeing again. But rest assured, this will have a ridiculously mushy happy ending (assuming I get that far).</p>
<p>I am not trying to make this into an overly fancy fic, and I know that my writing style has plenty of flaws. But I am doing this to prove to myself (and to anyone who might come upon this fic) that yes, it is indeed possible to write circles around millionaire Hollywood writers while using the same crap. It won't be TLJ-tier good, but hey! I'm just a grad student trying to survive a pandemic. It's something that I can give the fandom. If it takes off, I might try drawing some accompanying pieces on twitter (@/VioletEyedJedi).</p>
<p>Big thanks goes out to a YouTuber by the name of Mother's Basement for the inspiration. He did a similar thing with a divisive anime season a few of years back.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>The Dead Speak! The galaxy has heard a mysterious broadcast. It is a call for an alliance between the all-powerful FIRST ORDER and the army of the late DARTH SIDIOUS</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>GENERAL LEIA ORGANA works to prepare the Resistance for imminent battle, while REY, the last Jedi, continues to train in the ways of the Force. </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>Meanwhile, Supreme Leader KYLO REN rages in search of the phantom Emperor, determined to destroy him once and for all…</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Hux looked upon the battlefield with barely-hidden disdain as Kylo Ren and his knights cut a path of carnage through the Mustafarian colonists. He walked cautiously in front of the convoy several yards behind the group, futilely trying to disguise the beads of sweat that were pouring down his head and back.</p>
<p>How he despised the heat. They had already spent hours wading through the bogs and the barren black trees of Corvax Fen. Why they were in this gloomy forest was beyond him. Yes, it was one of the only habitable regions on the planet, but at least the volcanic regions had temples and fortresses protected by heat shields. At least the northern hemisphere was reasonably cool. But of course, in all of his idiocy, Ren had brought him here. His only excuse was that he needed to meet someone. No explanation as to who that person was. Probably some nonsense to do with the force.</p>
<p>The whole time, Ren barely acknowledged his presence, or even those of the masked men by his side. He just kept moving, a team of reapers, mowing down wave after wave of a seemingly endless number of cloaked barbarians. Not one of them was a match for them, and one by one they all met their end, whether by blaster or lightsabre.</p>
<p>Hux had to admit, he had not seen him so single-minded, so <em>feral</em>, in a long time. Something about the transmission had struck a nerve with him, and in the past week he had all but abandoned the First Order to focus on tracing it to its source. Ren had sent him a private message to organize the raiding party that very morning. Not to Exegol, the stormy outer reaches planet that they’d identified, but <em>Mustafar. </em>Like he’d done it specifically to spite him.</p>
<p>            Well, at least he had a proper outlet for his rage…for once. He wasn’t destroying  valuable machinery anymore, nor prancing around the base in disguise and killing interns. Perhaps this wretched planet was a fitting place for him, just like the warlord that he constantly obsessed over. Yet, as the search wore on, Hux found that Ren was almost as uncomfortable in the blazing hot environment as he was. Even after the last body fell, he remained insatiable. The party was frequently forced to halt so that their leader could stalk off into the dark fog, searching for new prey. Minutes later, he would return in silence, his face ice-cold with anger. His lightsabre never left his side, and its heat and sharp <em>cracks! </em>kept everyone a few feet away. <em>No one </em>wanted to be on the receiving end of his blade.</p>
<p>            “Move.” He said each time. Without a word, the knights and troopers would comply.</p>
<p>            After the fifth time Hux was ready to quit, ready to take his men and return to the ship, when suddenly Kylo Ren halted at the edge of the trees. When he narrowed his eyes, he could see a small lake beyond that, half-hidden by the fog. He looked back at Ren, and noticed that his posture had straightened and his shoulders had relaxed ever so slightly in relief. With a deep breath, he walked past the others until the two of them were standing shoulder so shoulder, staring at the clearing. The water was as still as a mirror, and the fiery sky made it look crimson, like a pool of blood.</p>
<p>            “Well?” He said flatly, side-eyeing Ren’s profile.</p>
<p>            “This is the place.” He replied without turning his head. His anger had subsided somewhat, replaced with some level of apprehension.</p>
<p>            “Shall we continue the search?”</p>
<p>            “No,” he said sharply. “Take them back to the base. I will do the rest of this myself.”</p>
<p>            “And <em>your </em>men?”</p>
<p>            The pair hesitated a glance at the six of them nearby. They seemed bored, perhaps waiting to get back to the base and get a round of drinks. Hux noticed Vicrul was picking bits of flesh and dried blood off of his scythe.</p>
<p>“Take them with you.”</p>
<p>            Hux nodded and stepped back, annoyed that he would have to babysit his attack dogs, but relieved that he wouldn’t have to put up with this nonsense any longer.</p>
<p>            “Move out,” He said to the troops. In moments, they had started heading back the way they came, leaving their leader to stand alone, lightsabre still ablaze, at the edge of the wood. Though he wanted to get away from the ash and rot and corpses without delay, Hux found himself stealing a glance at Ren as he walked towards the lake. Perhaps whatever monster he was seeking would delay his trip home. It would certainly give him enough time to finally put his own plans into motion back on the base. Maybe whatever monster lurking in the lake would be the one to kill him.</p>
<p>            One could only hope.</p>
<p>*          *          *</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kylo briefly wondered if it was a good idea to send the knights back with Hux. They had been a team for so long, an unstoppable force on the battlefield. But over the past year, their relationship had become…strained, to say the least. Part of him wondered if they respected him less now for choosing to fight without his mask. Maybe they had begun to sense the mess of emotions stirring within him…guilt, regret, loneliness, pain. Or maybe they’d found out about his secret—no, that was impossible. Not after he’d put in so much effort to conceal it.</p>
<p>He knew he was running out of time. He couldn’t hide his deficiencies anymore, and thus he couldn’t be the merciless leader the knights needed him to be. At least the rest of the First Order was still frightened of him. But the group had seen him as a child, a <em>padawan</em>. They knew of his vulnerabilities, the people he’d lost and the ones he’d failed to protect. If they wanted to betray him, they had every tool at their disposal to do so.</p>
<p>No, this was something that he needed to do without them watching. If the legends about this oracle were true, it could reveal any secret or weakness of those who crossed its path. He needed to get answers alone, not worry about how he was perceived by his underlings. He liked to imagine that his grandfather had once stood where he did. After all, he’d been the unofficial guardian of the planet. The oracle would have told him exactly what he needed to know.</p>
<p>As he stepped forward, he thought back to what had brought him to the fiery planet in the first place. The first time he’d heard the transmission, he thought the voice had been Snoke’s. Of all people, a dead man, the one he’d bisected with his grandfather’s lightsabre. He knew it couldn’t be true, but he still recognized the voice from somewhere. Obsession took over time instantly, and he spent hours afterwards replaying the words over and over again.</p>
<p>            <em>At last the work of generations is complete. The great error is corrected.</em></p>
<p>
  <em>            The day of victory is at hand. The day of revenge. The day of the Sith.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>I invite the First Order to Exegol. Join me, and we will crush our enemies and rule the galaxy forevermore.</em>
</p>
<p>The words enraged him each time. The <em>audacity </em>of anyone to challenge his rule, to invite him to become a servant once more, to give up everything that he had worked for. And to <em>Exegol </em>of all places?! That storm-ridden hellhole in the outer reaches was no place that anyone would travel to for leisure. Legends identified it as the ancestral home of the Sith, the place where they chose their rulers and amassed their once-great armies. Whoever had sent that message wasn’t just a zealot with delusions of grandeur. He must have been a Sith lord.</p>
<p>The truth hit him in the gut. The voice was not Snoke’s, but something else, one that he thought he’d buried away in the deepest recesses of his mind. It was the voice that he’d heard throughout his childhood. In every nightmare, every panic attack, every moment in a dark room when he was left alone with nothing but his own thoughts. The voice that told him that he was a monster, time and time again.</p>
<p>He was going to annihilate its owner, no matter what.</p>
<p>As he stood at the edge of the shore, the hot water lapped at his boots, disappearing into a cloud of steam when it touched the black leather. He lifted his head and squinted, searching for some signs of life somewhere on the horizon. Suddenly, the water started to bubble towards the centre, causing the ground to tremble ever so slightly.</p>
<p>He did not flinch as the creatures emerged from the depths. The first was giant and hairless, its eyes sewn shut, sheening with wetness, half-covered with dark weeds from the depths, and eerily humanoid. The second, the one who he had come to meet, was a far more frightening creature; an enormous spider-like being with its tentacles draped over the giant’s massive bald head. The limbs seemed to pulse rhythmically, as if it were sucking energy from the giant. It must have been in excruciating pain, but it did not move. It was only a vessel to keep its master alive.</p>
<p>            The spider creature blinked its beady red eyes at Kylo, sending a shiver down his spine. “I am the Eye of Webbish Bog. Why have you come here?” It rasped with every word, as if it was struggling to breathe.</p>
<p>            “There is a Sith Lord on Exegol. Who is he, and how do I destroy him?”</p>
<p>            The Eye cocked its head. “Why do you believe you are worthy of my help?”</p>
<p>            Kylo glared at the creature. “I am the heir to Lord Vader. I defeated your guardians. Does that not suffice?”</p>
<p>            The Eye shifted slightly, as if in deep philosophical thought. “It does. But what would you gain from my knowledge? I see that your soul is tainted with the light. You may not have the will to do what must be done.”</p>
<p>            “That is none of your concern. Give me what I need.” He said, his voice low. The spider blinked, but barely flinched. He started to raise his hand towards the creature to try again, but it startled him with an eerie squeal…a sound that he realized was laughter.</p>
<p>            “Did you really think that would work?”</p>
<p>            Kylo glared. <em>No, of course not</em>. The last time he even tried was with…no, <em>no </em>he couldn’t think about it.</p>
<p>            “Fine,” the Eye said. “In accordance with my lord’s wishes, you have earned my boon.”</p>
<p>            The giant’s head shifted slightly, causing ripples in the water, which grew into waves. Kylo looked on in awe as a small stone altar rose from the water a few feet in front of him. At the top lay a small pyramid, on it a web of carvings as black as obsidian and a core that glowed like a red star. He waded into the water to lift it off, surprised at how heavy and warm it felt in his hands. It seemed to pulse in his hand, like he was holding a living heart.</p>
<p>He let himself get taken in by the glow for a moment, entranced by the light. A Sith holocron, capable of storing untold secrets for dark siders. Would this truly give him what he needed to defeat his foe?</p>
<p>            “That is only one of the tools that you will need.” The Eye said, interrupting his thoughts.</p>
<p>            He looked up and frowned. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>            “There is a Jedi holocron on the planet Pasaana. Once you find that, you will have the keys to find and use the true weapon, hidden in Sith lord’s throne.”</p>
<p>            He glared at the creature. <em>Of course </em>he was being sent on a fetch quest. “Anything else?”</p>
<p>            The spider’s mouth curled into a grin, sending a shiver down his spine. One of its tentacles shifted, as if to move closer towards his head. He turned and held up his blazing sabre in warning.</p>
<p>            “I have seen someone. A young scavenger—no—a Jedi, who you once fought beside. It seems that you two formed a bond.”</p>
<p>            He pulled back, hoping to feign ignorance. “What about her?”</p>
<p>            “You once asked her to rule the galaxy with you, did you not?”</p>
<p>            Kylo swallowed, but did not answer.</p>
<p>            “You care for her, don’t you?”</p>
<p>            “What’s your point?” Kylo said harshly, stifling the urge to chop off one of its limbs.</p>
<p>            The Eye chuckled. “Rey’s destiny is intertwined with yours. She will play a crucial role in the battle to come.”</p>
<p>Kylo’s jaw tightened at the sound of her name. “She has nothing to do with this.”</p>
<p>The Eye laughed again. “Oh, she has <em>everything </em>to do with this. If you wish to kill this Sith Lord, you need her. Your bond holds great power.”</p>
<p>“I don’t need her, and I don’t need your weapon. I am the Supreme Leader of the First Order. I will kill <em>anyone </em>who challenges my rule.” He said sharply. Without another word, he turned around and stepped out of the water, clutching the holocron and his sabre.</p>
<p>As he reached the shore, he heard the oracle laugh maniacally.</p>
<p>“Are you sure, young <em>Ben</em>? Can you bring yourself to kill your grandfather’s master?”</p>
<p>He whirled around, ready to run the creature through, but it was gone. The water was still once more, as if nothing had lived there at all.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*          *          *</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When he returned to the forest entrance, no one was there to greet him. Just as well, he did not want to be seen in his current state, with the dried blood all over his face and the water dripping from his clothes and boots. His TIE whisper sat unattended, and before he boarded it, he stopped, leaned against the wing, and let out a string of curses loud enough to shake the trees.</p>
<p>He had his answers, he realized, staring at the holocron in his hand. They certainly weren’t what he was hoping for, but they were something he could work with. He just needed to find the other holocron</p>
<p>Kylo closed his eyes and focused on the structure of the crystal, remembering his training at Luke’s academy and under Snoke. Every holocron was a living, breathing creature, and he had to weave his way through the puzzle to retrieve its secrets. Every piece of the contraption had its place, allowing him access to the core. Letting calm wash over him, he visualized each section shifting towards its rightful place.</p>
<p>After a minute, he opened one eye. The holocron sat in his hand, feeling cool to the touch in his hand.</p>
<p>A new wave of rage washed over him. <em>Of course</em> it wouldn’t work. Why did he expect it to work? His connection to the Force had been waning for months. Something had happened on Crait after his fight with Luke.</p>
<p>He remembered clutching his father’s golden dice and watching Rey stare down at him not with anger, but…sadness. Disappointment. Then they’d disappeared and he was left alone once more, a ruthless leader brought to his knees in an empty hideout. Ever since that day…it felt like a wall had been erected in his mind. His connection to the Force had become so weak, that it often felt like he was moving through life with one hand tied behind his back. Some days, it took all of his effort to conceal the secret from the First Order.</p>
<p>Still, a thought tugged at him. He knew that she hated her, but if he’d had this problem then maybe she did too. If it had something to do with her closing the bond…perhaps opening it could help. Maybe then she’d be open to a temporary truce. They could find the weapon and destroy the Emperor together.</p>
<p>Kylo sighed at the thought, then remembered the sting of the scar on his visage. No, <em>no</em>, that would never happen, it was idiotic to think otherwise. If he ever spoke to her again…she would never forgive him.</p>
<p>None of them would.</p>
<p>He wasn’t going to play the oracle’s game. If the Sith lord truly was the Emperor…he’d be a dead man walking, far too old and weak to fight back. Regardless of the influence he’d had on him years ago, Kylo now held the power to destroy him on the spot. He’d do it, then focus on building his order and move on with the rest of his life, no longer bound by his past.</p>
<p>As he turned to climb onto his TIE, he told himself that he was doing the right thing. He needed to face his enemy in the face, and finally erase the last vestige of his past. The last thing holding him back from his true self.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ben.</em>
</p>
<p>Kylo whirled at the sound of Luke’s voice, but saw only the blackened trees. He let out a groan. If anything had remained, it was his cursed uncle’s voice whispering in his ear. Just like he’d promised.</p>
<p>Steadying himself, he sat down in the cockpit and prepared to take off.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ben…you need to come home.</em>
</p>
<p>“Shut up,” he muttered, activating his interface. He didn’t need to be taunted by another dead man. Luke knew very well that he didn’t have a home to return to.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*          *          *</p>
<p> </p>
<p>            The hours of space travel went by in a blur, for his mind was occupied with thoughts of his grandfather, and stories of his parents’ adventures before he was born. He’d heard vague whispers about the Emperor from his mother. The man was a cruel and capricious ruler, a Sith lord who lorded his power over all beings in the galaxy…even Darth Vader. He was the <em>only </em>person who his grandfather would answer to…and according to Snoke, he was also the one to free him from the oppressive Jedi order. He gave Vader a new life and purpose when no one else did.</p>
<p>So why did people believe that Vader killed him in the end? That was the part that he never fully understood. Everyone believed that Vader had killed his master to seize power, but he was wounded and died moments later. Luke was the only other one in the room. He didn’t like to talk about the experience, not even with his own family members. Even when Kylo murdered his own master, he hadn’t done it for those reasons. Perhaps his grandfather had his own?</p>
<p>Kylo sighed. That was the one thing his spirit had never told him. He wished he could have that guidance now.</p>
<p>            Snoke once told him that Luke had in fact been the one to destroy both men in the name of the Jedi. He spoke of the Emperor almost…reverently, and perhaps expected him to do the same. But Kylo didn’t know him like he knew Vader. He felt no connection to his grandfather’s master. His only loyalties were to his grandfather’s spirit and the man who’d given him purpose after Luke Skywalker had betrayed him.</p>
<p>            But…had Snoke been lying to him the whole time? Did he know that the Emperor was alive all along, tormenting the young Ben Solo through the force?</p>
<p>            It didn’t matter now. His old master was dead, and soon this monster would be too.</p>
<p>When he finally approached the atmosphere of the planet, he took a breath and composed himself. The whole thing was covered in a shroud of dark blue storm clouds, each one bursting with bright flashes of lightning.</p>
<p>The ride down was rough, to say the least. Without the Force by his side, he found himself narrowly dodging one bolt after another, until finally he felt the <em>thump! </em>of the hard earth under his TIE whisper, then the cold sand and stone under his feet. Despite the thick, dark fog covering the landscape, the entire planet seemed to be flat and empty, devoid of any life whatsoever. Only in the distance could he see the enormous floating monolith, its peak half-hidden in the haze.</p>
<p>He cleared his thoughts, ignited his lightsabre, and strode towards the towering mass. The closer he got, the more he felt the energy emanating from him. Even in his weakened state, he could feel it beckoning him forward, like a monster luring its victims into its deadly embrace. With every step, he felt its pull grow stronger, causing every hair on his body to stand on end.</p>
<p>Finally, he reached the stone and walked underneath, every footstep echoing. He was all-too conscious of the distance between it and the ground. It felt like he was going to be crushed at any moment, as if the planet itself was sending him a message. <em>You are still too weak.</em> At the centre, he stopped, hearing something clang, and then the section of the floor he was on separated, descending slowly into the depths.</p>
<p>            As he glanced at the chains and carved giants’ faces, he felt himself flinch with terror. He’d read about this planet, but being here in person…it was overwhelming. The Sith had their own history, memories, and monuments. Though he never called himself one, part of his soul knew that he was more fit to inherit this order than that of the Jedi. He was the only true follower of the dark side left. One day, his face would be carved into stone like the titans hovering above him.</p>
<p>            So why did the sight of the statues frighten him so?</p>
<p>            He tightened his grip on the lightsabre as the disc came to a gentle halt. Before him was a towering corridor of decaying marble, likely a relic of an old Sith palace. He stepped forward, mindful of the dark chasms that lined the stony walkway beneath his feet. Jagged bolts of lightning seemed to flash within the depths, as if they were opening back up towards the dark sky. When he looked around, he flinched at the sight of figures darting around the walls of the corridor. He saw only threadbare black robes and covered faces. Acolytes, he supposed. They paid him no heed, but their presence still bothered him.</p>
<p>            “My boy,” A voice whispered. It was raspy, straining, yet all too familiar. “Finally, you have come home.”</p>
<p>            Kylo whirled, poised to strike the creature at its source. Yet all he found were dancing shadows against cracked rocks. He tried to compose himself, but his breathing was shallow and raspy. After a moment, he steeled himself and lowered his sabre, careful to project an image of strength and calm in front of his foe.</p>
<p>            “Snoke trained you well,” he continued. Kylo’s skin prickled. It had been so long, but it still affected him. It was as if a shadowy monster was wrapping its dark tendrils around his brain, trapping him, suffocating him, eating away at his will to live…</p>
<p>            <em>I will kill you, I will kill you, I </em>will <em>kill you…</em>he thought to himself as he reached the corridor’s exit. It opened into a wide stadium engulfed in fog, but when lightning flashed again he saw what he came for. At the back, there was a black throne, carved out of a colossal stony mass that seemed to bloom from the earth itself.</p>
<p>            “You’re shaking.”</p>
<p>            The words made Kylo stop in his tracks only a few metres from the throne. He held his sabre limply at his side, staring up at the structure, still half-hidden in fog.</p>
<p>            “I am not afraid of you,” He said, holding his sabre up to attach.</p>
<p>            Laughter erupted from the throne, low and guttural. The fog began to clear away, and he found a figure sitting above him, his face half-hidden by a ratty black hood.</p>
<p>            “Is that any way to greet your own master?”</p>
<p>            Kylo froze. “What are you talking about?”</p>
<p>            The monster tilted his head, letting the hood fall from his head. Even from the foot of the throne, he could see his wrinkled, decaying grey skin. He looked like a corpse that would collapse with a single movement, but his golden eyes nevertheless glowed in the darkness, boring into Kylo’s very soul. “You know very well. I showed you the truth about your world. I trained you, and I led you here.” He let every word reverberate in the boy’s ears, revelling in his pain. Then, as if to twist the dagger in his heart, he changed his voice…until it resembled the one that Kylo had heard from his grandfather so many times. “I have been every voice you have ever heard inside your head.”</p>
<p>            Kylo’s eyes widened as the truth stared him in the face, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. <em>No, NO.</em></p>
<p>            “So you see—”</p>
<p>            “I will mount your head on a pike.” He said flatly, stepping closer to the chair. He felt nothing, thought of nothing else. He wanted this man <em>dead. Annihilated. </em>Incinerated over and over again until he was a cloud of ashes floating in the deepest recesses of space.</p>
<p>            The Emperor frowned at his disrespect, then his voice morphed again, transforming into Snoke’s low growl. “All this time, and you haven’t changed at all. You are still just a child in a mask.”</p>
<p>            Kylo charged swinging his blade in a large arc to cleave the demon’s head off his shoulders. In that moment, he saw him raise a bony finger and felt himself fly backwards, his back hitting the ground.</p>
<p>            “Don’t be so rash, <em>boy</em>. I have not even introduced myself.”</p>
<p>Kylo climbed to his feet, spitting blood onto the ground. “You’re Darth Sidious,” he growled.</p>
<p>“Ah, so you<em> do</em> know who I am. I trust that your family told you all about my many accomplishments.”</p>
<p>            Without replying, he charged once more to bisect the Emperor, but he was immediately met with a bolt of lightning emanating from his fingertips. His head slammed against the stone and he groaned, feeling the sting of electricity course through his body.</p>
<p>            It shouldn’t have been possible for him to have such command over the force, even in his state.</p>
<p>            He climbed to one knee, feeling ready to vomit. “How—” He murmured.</p>
<p>            “How am I here?” The Emperor chuckled, raising a bony finger to his right. Kylo straightened and let his gaze wander for a brief moment to see where he was pointing. To the right of the stadium, he could see a cluster of enormous machines letting off a series of high-pitched whirs, and each one was operated by a crimson stormtrooper. They didn’t seem to detect his presence. Against his better judgement, he let himself turn his head to get a better look at the machines, then realized that there was far more to the room than that. Above the mechanical mass and tangled web of wires and tubes of liquid, he found pods. Hundreds-no, thousands of pods, resting where the seats used to be. Each one was silver and opaque against the ancient stones of the structure, as if they were eggs waiting patiently to hatch.</p>
<p>            Because they were eggs. They were c<em>lones</em>, he realized with horror. No matter how many times his body was destroyed, he could just select a new one, overriding the will of whatever shrivelled spirit inside. As long as he had a body, he could maintain his grip on the Force…and even on the galaxy.</p>
<p>            “What does this have to do with me?” He said, recalling the transmission.</p>
<p>            “You understand that the dark side is a path to many unnatural abilities. It has allowed me to survive for quite some time.” Sidious said, examining his palm. As the robe fell away, Kylo could see just how gaunt and rotted it was. Like he was dying right in front of him.</p>
<p>            “But it isn’t enough,” He said, meeting the monster’s gaze. “The clones are too weak to hold your power.”</p>
<p>            The monster narrowed his eyes, curiously waiting to see what he was getting at.</p>
<p>            “You sent me that message because you want to rule the galaxy,” Kylo said, climbing up a step. His lightsabre was no longer ignited, but he held it tightly nevertheless. “You could not reform your Empire in your state. You needed someone to carry out your will.”</p>
<p>            “Perhaps.” He mused.</p>
<p>            “So you used Snoke. You spoke through him when you saw fit.” Kylo didn’t need him to answer. He knew very well of how the Sith used others as mouthpieces. It was a rudimentary technique that did not require the same effort or risk as outright possession. As long as he had a conduit, some talisman connected to the dark side of the Force, he could pull the strings of any puppet he saw fit. Before he’d formed his army, Snoke had been a procurer of many Sith relics. His most prized possession had been the large onyx ring that was always sparkling on his finger. Kylo’s mind flashed back to every bout of Snoke’s anger, every time he berated him or shot him. Had that been Sidious all along? Had it been his voice speaking to him from the burnt helmet? Everyone who’d offered him guidance was just a mouthpiece for this <em>demon.</em></p>
<p>When the Emperor did not blink, he continued. “You don’t have him anymore, so you’re trying to take the next step.” He stepped up so that they were eye to eye, then ignited the sabre as a warning. “You need a vessel. You need <em>me.”</em></p>
<p>            The Sith Lord gritted, showing his black and yellow teeth, then let out a deep, guttural laugh that echoed across the reaches of the room, causing the entire structure to tremble.</p>
<p>            “Very perceptive, I must say. Yes, I would like to offer someone the <em>honour </em>of giving me a new life.”</p>
<p>            Kylo raised his sabre defensively, but the Emperor did not throw him back. Instead, he stood up, then delicately forced the blade aside so that he could look into his eyes.</p>
<p>            “Yet you don’t seem interested. Why is that? Have I not prepared you well enough?</p>
<p>            He pulled back slightly. <em>Prepared?! </em>“If I were to say no, what would you do?” Kylo could give himself enough credit…despite the Emperor’s efforts, he was still standing. If he were to try and fail at possessing him, his soul would vanish on the spot. He couldn’t take that risk, not without sufficiently breaking a candidate so that they wouldn’t dare reject him. Kylo still possessed the strength to resist.</p>
<p>            The Emperor shrugged. “I have my contingencies.”</p>
<p>            He paused, wondering if it was a bluff.</p>
<p>            “Oh, surely you must know. I’m talking about your little <em>scavenger.</em>”</p>
<p>            The word pierced through Kylo’s armour, causing the Sith lord to smile wryly.</p>
<p>            “What do you know about her?”</p>
<p>            The creature’s grin only widened, and then he suddenly faded into a cloud of smoke. Kylo recoiled in shock as he found himself surrounded by absolute blackness, feeling trapped once more in a nightmare from so long ago. He felt his pulse quicken and his breathing grow unsteady, and in a mere moment the whirling smoke became too much. He tried grunting and swinging aimlessly at the dark tendrils surrounding him, but his feeble attempts were only met with laughter until finally…it cleared.</p>
<p>            Kylo composed himself and whirled around, realizing quickly that he was in a new location. He was in the entrance of an underground cave. Black stones surrounded him, jagged and smooth as a mirror’s surface. He could see his own face reflected off his sabre’s glow no matter where he turned. He was nothing but a child, trembling with fear and insecurity.</p>
<p>            “<em>Kylo.”</em></p>
<p>He turned hesitantly, recognizing the voice. Before him stood Rey…but not as he knew her. This woman was a stranger. Her face was gaunt and pale, and her eyes glowed a sickly yellow against the light of his blade. Her dark hair was tucked neatly, covered by a thick black hood. She wore a long, sheer black dress, and in her hand was a dual-bladed lightsabre, each side blazing crimson.</p>
<p>            Ben took a step back, terror washing over him.</p>
<p>            “Don’t be afraid,” Rey smiled. “This is what you’ve wanted, isn’t it? For me to join you. For us to rule together on the dark side.”</p>
<p>            His arm fell limply to his side. “No, <em>no</em>, that’s not true…”</p>
<p>            Her grin widened as she strode towards him, and he was helpless as she reached up to caress his cheek. “This is who I was meant to be.”</p>
<p>            “Rey—” He said, pulling away. “Don’t go this way.”</p>
<p>            “Oh Kylo,” She said, poising to attack. “I already have.”</p>
<p>“No, NO!!” He screamed, shutting his eyes and pressing his hands against his temples.</p>
<p>The illusion vanished, leaving Kylo Ren on his knees and trembling at the foot of the Emperor’s throne.</p>
<p>“Fascinating. You really are just like him.” The Emperor chuckled.</p>
<p>            Kylo did not understand who he meant, and he did not care. He felt rage rising in him once more. “You’re lying to me. She would never turn.”</p>
<p>“I know that you are lying to yourself. You have seen into your past, haven’t you?”</p>
<p>Kylo swallowed nervously. He knew about that too. He knew about her secrets, painful events that she had long since locked away. Memories that he wished he hadn’t seen.</p>
<p>“I am simply showing you what is to come. You too have felt the darkness growing within the girl. It is only a matter of time before she realizes the truth about herself. Then she will come to me of her own free will.”</p>
<p>“There is a way to stop this,” he protested. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have shown it to me.”</p>
<p>Palpatine cocked his head, and Kylo saw the corner of his mouth twitch upwards. “<em>Perhaps,” </em>he mused, barely feigning ignorance. “I may be able to help you save her.” His eyes lowered towards the bright crimson blade. “First you must put down your weapon.”</p>
<p>Kylo followed his gaze towards his own blade. “Then what?” He said.</p>
<p>“You were right, before. I cannot risk possessing your body without destroying myself. So I have another offer: become my apprentice. Become my <em>voice. </em>Together, we will solidify our rule over the galaxy. Your precious Rey will remain an emissary of the light.”</p>
<p>Kylo glanced up at his decaying form. The Emperor was falling apart, shaking with every breath. Of course he wouldn’t stop at using him as a mouthpiece. He would try to break him down piece by piece, weakening his spirit and then taking over the hollow shell. He would die knowing that the demon who’d haunted him would take over his life.</p>
<p>“How can you be sure she won’t turn?”</p>
<p>The Emperor smiled knowingly. “You and I both know that darkness cannot exist without light. As long as you remain her enemy, she will remain on the path of a Jedi.”</p>
<p>            He knew in his heart that Sidious was right. He and Rey…they were destined to be enemies. Two sides of the same coin. If he let himself become the Emperor’s puppet once more, what difference would it make to her? If he was lucky, she would kill him on the spot.</p>
<p>            She would never know or care, but he didn’t want to let his fate become hers. She was already a better Jedi, a better Skywalker than he’d ever been, and now she was the only hope for his old family. He didn’t want to drag her into the depths of his own misery…no more than he already had. He couldn’t bear to see her tainted with darkness…and if becoming a servant again would keep her safe…</p>
<p>            He buckled his sabre hilt to his belt, then bent down on one knee by the foot of the throne. Perhaps the gesture of loyalty would mask the seething hatred that he felt in his heart.</p>
<p>            After what felt like an eternity, Kylo felt a trembling hand rest on his shoulder in a gesture that made him freeze. He felt like he did that day he left the temple, when he first ran into the waiting arms of Snoke.</p>
<p>            “You have made the right choice, my boy.”</p>
<p>            Kylo exhaled nervously, but refused to look directly at the demon. “I will do whatever you ask of me, <em>master</em>.” He said, gritting his teeth with the last word.</p>
<p>            The Emperor brought his hand under his chin and lifted it, forcing him to look upon his ancient skin that was cracked like stone, his rotting teeth, and piercing eyes. Kylo swallowed, unable to hide his horror and disgust.</p>
<p>            The demon’s grin grew wider. “Oh, you will do far more than that, <em>young Skywalker</em>.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Meditation and Training</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Rey attempts to connect to the Force, but finds herself distracted by...something.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This (and the upcoming chapter 3) were originally supposed to be all one chapter, but this got a bit too long. I'll try to post ch 3 soon!</p>
<p>(And thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed chapter 1! It's wonderful to get feedback, it gives me the confidence to write more ^_^)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rey sat cross-legged and closed her eyes, shuffling slightly to centre herself on the blackened patch in the clearing. As she began the meditation, she felt her own energy shift, as if she was floating in the sky. For a beautiful moment, she could feel herself connecting to the life of the jungle planet. She heard every insect’s buzz, every bird’s call, and every reptile’s footstep. She could feel the Force begin to flow through her, as if creating a bridge in the sky for her to walk on. One foot, then another.</p>
<p>            “That’s it Rey,” Leia’s deep and soothing voice called from above her head. “Let the Force guide you.”</p>
<p>            Rey nodded and tried to let herself fall deeper into the trance. With every inhale and exhale, she could feel her connection to the Force strengthen more and more. The bridge grew more solid, and she felt like she could burst into a run and touch the stars.</p>
<p>            “Now…” She continued, moving Rey’s arm. “Let it flow into the earth.”</p>
<p>            Rey inhaled as Leia pressed her palm against the rough grass, then let the air flow out, guiding the energy towards the withering grass. It flowed out of her slowly, like water in a blocked spigot. She furrowed her brow and focused on pushing it forward, not allowing any other thoughts to invade her mind. Yet something nagged at her. A small whisper, faint but unmistakeable.</p>
<p>            Suddenly, she felt something sting against her eye. A strange light. Rey opened it a milimetre, and found herself facing the window outside of the base, light streaming in, blocked only by…</p>
<p>            She shut her eyes tight. Nope, nope, no distractions.</p>
<p>            “Keep going,” Leia whispered.</p>
<p>            Rey nodded, but she knew she’d already lost her concentration. Her connection was waning once more, and she could feel her balance falter.</p>
<p>The energy stopped flowing and she clenched her fist. The grass below still felt dead. “Is this really going to help?” Rey asked, immediately regretting the harshness of her tone.</p>
<p>            “It will,” Leia replied. “Healing is an important skill. Not every battle is about striking down your opponent.”</p>
<p>            <em>I’m preparing to fight the Emperor.</em> Rey thought to herself. <em>I should be sparring or doing lightsabre drills. </em></p>
<p>It had taken the Resistance a matter of days to decipher and pinpoint the origin the galaxy-wide transmission. It probably took the First Order an hour or two, given their superior technology. Very few people knew about the nature of the planet that it came from, but Leia had grown up in the days of the Empire…she knew exactly whose voice it was. And given the stories about her brother, she knew exactly how dangerous he was.</p>
<p>            “Don’t get distracted,” she interrupted Rey’s wandering thoughts. “You’re in training right now.”</p>
<p>            “I’m sorry,” she murmured. The mere idea of having to fight that monster that she used to hear horror stories about on Jakku…the thought had been keeping her up for nights on end.</p>
<p>            “Don’t be sorry either. Just keep going. Reach out, let emotions flow through you, and find your place in the Force.”</p>
<p>            She waited. One second, then two. Then she saw the falling sparks, and she jerked her hand away from the patch.</p>
<p>            “I can’t do this,” She said, climbing to her feet and meeting Leia’s eyes. The General looked neat and tidy as ever, her hair pulled back into a beautiful circlet of braids and silver jewellery dangling from her earlobes. She wore a lovely silver tunic and long black boots, a vision compared to her dishevelled student. Rey was acutely aware of the mud covering her light clothing.</p>
<p>            “Why did you stop?” Leia asked, hiding the hint of a smile. She pointed back to the patch, and Rey followed to see that the she had in fact, healed part of the burnt region. As quickly as she’d said those words, the green blades of grass began to wilt, until the patch was as black as when they’d started.</p>
<p>            She tried to hide her surprise. “I didn’t—I didn’t realize I’d done anything.”</p>
<p>            “That’s alright,” she replied. “Take a quick break, and we’ll try it again.”</p>
<p>            Rey gulped, remembering the images that had clouded her mind. “Why am I still doing this? You already know I can use the Force. I do it all the time.”</p>
<p>            Leia’s face changed into annoyance, and in a moment she had straightened, morphing from a calm and supportive teacher to a harsher general. “Alright, then show me. Lift the rock.” She pointed at a boulder at the edge of the clearing that probably weighed more than the two of them combined.</p>
<p>            Rey glanced at her nervously. “Are you serious?”</p>
<p>            “I’ve seen you lift far more.”</p>
<p>            She didn’t respond, but closed her eyes and focused her efforts on the stone to make it budge. It was well within her abilities. On Crait she’d been able to do it with barely a flick of her wrist</p>
<p>            She opened her eyes. Nothing.</p>
<p>            Turning around, she could see Leia cross her arms and purse her lips. Never a good sign.</p>
<p>            Rey threw her hands up. “Alright, fine. I admit it, I’m not perfect!”</p>
<p>            “You don’t need to be,” Leia said softly. “We all have our ups and downs. But you need to face your problems if you want to fix them.”</p>
<p>            “I don’t have a problem.” She protested.</p>
<p>            “Are you holding back then?”</p>
<p>            Rey’s eyes drooped down at that, and instinctively she tucked away a stray strand of hair that had fallen out of her buns.</p>
<p>            “You can tell me if that’s what you’re doing. I won’t judge you.”</p>
<p>            “I’m not holding back, I promise.”</p>
<p>            Leia nodded. “Okay. So we’ll keep working on it.”</p>
<p>She flushed, letting her hand drift towards the sabre hooked at her hip. “Can I run the training course instead?” She needed a change of pace.</p>
<p>“Rey, you know that course backwards and forwards.”</p>
<p>“I know, I’m just—” She tightened her grip around the sabre, feeling the leather strip between her fingers. “My head’s not in it today.”</p>
<p>Leia was unmoved. “I know that things are difficult right now, but if you want to fix a problem, you have to face it.”</p>
<p>Rey avoided her gaze. “I’m doing the best I can. I’m just…I have a lot on my mind.”</p>
<p>“And you’re sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Leia asked, her voice softer.</p>
<p>The two women exchanged a brief glance, and for a moment there was some understanding between them. Unspoken, but present.</p>
<p>“No,” she replied. “I’m okay, really.” What could she say? Deep down, she knew exactly why she was having trouble connecting to the Force. She’d been having the same problem for the better part of a year. Leia was obviously catching on. Rey didn’t even want to think about how she would react if she told her the truth. It wasn’t worth it. She was fully capable of fighting on her own…she’d been doing it since she was a child.</p>
<p>            “Alright,” Leia finally said. “I’ll meet you at the base in an hour.”</p>
<p>            Rey nodded. “Yes master.”</p>
<p>            She nodded and cocked her head towards the first checkpoint.</p>
<p>“I promise I’ll try again later.” Rey said, piping up as much as she could. Before Leia could reply, she was off into the jungle, sabre alight, while BB-8 followed close behind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*          *          *</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Leia couldn’t help feel a pang of sadness as Rey disappeared into the foliage. The girl was certainly something. Strong-willed, impulsive, and oh so determined to get the job done on her own. Yet, she had so much bottled up. She was so pent-up with emotions, and one day they were going to spill over.</p>
<p><em>Master.</em> Rey said the word so often, so easily. She really wanted her to be the teacher that Luke couldn’t be. She wanted to be a Jedi so badly.</p>
<p>She was so, <em>so </em>much like Ben.</p>
<p>            Leia had never felt like she quite belonged on the path of the Jedi. After things settled down with the war and she and Han took the next step in their relationship, Luke tried to get her onboard with his new religion. She always assumed that he’d pushed her because he didn’t want to be the only one of his kind. He talked at length about how excited he was to teach her the ways of the Force and help her use a lightsabre. They trained on and off for months on this very planet, constructing courses and meditating together while the flies buzzed around their heads. They even went back to Bespin together, where they found their father’s sword lodged in a spire of a lower-level mining colony.</p>
<p>            Even with the monumental task of balancing the life of a Jedi and reorganizing the government, it only took a few weeks for her to pick up on lightsabre combat. Within a few months, she had grown fairly adept at using the Force. Then…she became pregnant. That was when things changed. Luke was always supportive of her relationship with Han, but the Jedi weren’t meant to have families, according to his masters. They served the galaxy, they couldn’t let themselves get distracted by personal matters. After all, wasn’t that what drove their father to the dark side? The best Jedi was a solitary zealot, loyal to the cause and determined to make the galaxy a safer place…at any cost.</p>
<p>            Leia knew that her brother would never say it to her face, but he was never going to go against the Jedi code, nor the teachings of his own ghostly mentors. So…she left. She devoted herself to her husband, her son, and her job. But she never quite lost her connection to the Force. And as Ben grew up, she could feel his pain and turmoil. She could feel him crumbling under the weight of his legacy, always dangling off the cliff’s edge. She thought that sending him to Luke would help him make sense of things, give him some structure and purpose. He seemed to want to be a Jedi so badly…Leia thought it was the best thing to do.</p>
<p>            When he found out about Vader, that was when it became too much. All of the secrets and lies were revealed, and then in an instant they lost him.</p>
<p>            It took years for her to realize how blind she’d truly been, how she’d missed Snoke’s influence. She thought Han would help bring him home, but that ended in failure. She kept sending in others, too scared to face him herself, too terrified to admit the truth. She had failed as a mother. On Crait, in a moment of weakness, she’d uttered the words hiding in the darkest recesses in her heart, words that only Luke heard but she knew she could never take back.</p>
<p>            <em>I know my son is gone.</em></p>
<p>            She hated herself for that most of all.</p>
<p>            A year had passed since that day. She’d hoped that teaching Rey what she knew would help. She made it clear that she wasn’t training her in the ways of the Jedi. She just wanted her to be herself. Maybe helping the girl on her journey would make up for how she failed her son. Rey was a good person, better than she’d been. Maybe she could help make things right.</p>
<p>            As Leia walked through the trees, she wiped away a stray tear as she felt the breeze pick up around her.</p>
<p>            “How are things going on your end?” Luke’s voice whispered through the wind.</p>
<p>            Leia sighed and kept walking. “It’s alright. She’s progressing well.”</p>
<p>            Luke’s disembodied voice chuckled. “That’s because she has a good teacher.”</p>
<p>            She took a deep breath as a branch cracked beneath her feet, then looked down at her wrinkled hand. She could feel the weakness in her bones…her age and the radiation from space were really taking their toll. There wasn’t much time left.</p>
<p>            Leia closed her eyes. “She’s holding back though…not like she’s closing herself off from the Force, but she’s not opening herself up like she used to. Something’s blocking her way.”</p>
<p>            The wind did not answer.</p>
<p>            Leia rolled her eyes. “Any idea on how to help her?”</p>
<p>            The jungle was silent for a moment, but then she felt the air change. In a moment, Luke was standing in front of her, clad in his light Jedi robes, hair long and grey. The light of the sun passed right through him.</p>
<p>            “What do you think?” Leia asked. She didn’t let herself get fazed by the sight of force ghosts, no matter how strange the concept had always seemed to her. Luke was the only family member she could talk to, and even though she could no longer touch him, simply seeing his face was a small comfort.</p>
<p>            “I think I know what’s going on,” Luke said quietly.</p>
<p>            Leia raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>            “I’ve been trying to talk to Ben,” He admitted. “I can see and hear him, but I don’t think he can see me. His connection to the Force has also been waning.”</p>
<p>            “What does that have to do with Rey?”</p>
<p>            Luke examined the ground for a moment, then sighed. Wordlessly, he walked over to a nearby boulder and sat down, beckoning for her to join him. “There are some things that I should have told you a long time ago.”</p>
<p>Leia narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”</p>
<p>“You should sit down.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*          *          *</p>
<p>            Flag in hand, Rey dashed through the obstacle course with ease, ignoring the thick foliage that whipped past her. She bounded over the tangled ferns and vines, somersaulted over logs, and grunted as she climbed the cliffside to the first checkpoint. Sweat soaked her collar, and every muscle in her body ached with effort, but she didn’t care. This was the best stress reliever she had, and it was much easier than her daily routine on Jakku.</p>
<p>            “Hurry up!” She yelled to BB-8 when she got to the top. The little droid raised itself to the top with a small grappling hook. When he landed, she smiled and continued on the course. So much of it was too easy. She fought a remote blindly on a thin ridge overlooking a ravine, counting the breaks in between blasts like she’d done a thousand times. She climbed the high canopy and placed the red cloth on the target, then leapt down and landed on one knee. Then she doubled back the way she came, knowing that the tricker remote was coming up.</p>
<p>            The run to the checkpoint was all-too easy, she knew the terrain by heart. As she let herself pick up speed, she found herself plagued by thoughts of her conversation with Leia. She knew deep down, that she was right. She needed to open herself up to the Force, she was the only hope that the resistance had to take down the Emperor. But was it possible that knew? No, no she couldn’t have known the truth. Rey had never told anyone.</p>
<p>            She regained focus in time to face the buzzing remote. Lightsabre in hand, she activated it and watched the glowing blue blade rise. Her entire body was tense with determination. She just needed to anticipate the shots, then she’d be able to take it down and get this whole thing over with.</p>
<p>            <em>Rey.</em></p>
<p>            The sound of her name threw her off for a moment, but Rey couldn’t tell who’d said it. She grunted in pain as the remote shot a blast into her upper arm. Anger boiled inside of her like a rolling storm cloud. She was going to annihilate that thing.</p>
<p>            Anticipating the next shot, she managed to deflect the blast and send it flying into a nearby tree. Then another one came, hitting her in square the chest. She swung blindly, but missed every time, and it continued to dart around like a bug.</p>
<p>            <em>Rey, please.</em></p>
<p>            She gritted her teeth as his words came rushing into her head. No, she needed to focus. She couldn’t let herself get distracted. She needed to <em>focus</em>, finish the task and finish the stupid course. Why couldn’t she do anything right? Why was she so weak? <em>It’s because you’re scared,</em> some dark part of her mind whispered.</p>
<p>            Staring at the remote, a hint of a smile came to her lips. <em>Scared? </em>No, no she wasn’t scared. She was angry. She was angry at so many people, angry at him, and angry at herself. Why couldn’t she do better? Why couldn’t she just be the Jedi that she was supposed to be?</p>
<p>            Why didn’t he come with her?</p>
<p>            Rey steeled herself and lunged forward, feeling the power well within her. Raw instinct took over, and for a moment she felt the Force flow once more. She threw her lightsabre forward like a javelin, and in an instant it pinned the remote to the side of a tree.</p>
<p>            Gasping, she strode over and took the hilt, bringing it back to her side as the remote collapsed to the ground.</p>
<p>            Rey took a deep breath and closed her eyes, leaning her head back to take a deep breath. She revelled for a moment, feeling the energy flow through her. But she knew that it could only last so long. She needed to stop herself before—</p>
<p>            <em>Rey. Come with me.</em></p>
<p>            She whirled at the sound of his voice, then froze. The jungle faded around her in an instant, and she found herself in a forest. The sky above her was blood-red, the trees were blackened and dead, and the air was filled with ash that made her feel like she was suffocating. Looking up, her eyes widened at the sight of Kylo Ren. He stood at the edge of a lake, his back turned to her. In one hand, he held his crackling red lightsabre, and in the other, he held a pyramidal contraption that glowed red like lava. In the water, Rey saw an enormous spider-like creature, hissing something that she couldn’t quite make out.</p>
<p>            <em>A holocron….Pasaana…coming…battle.</em></p>
<p>            She wondered what that could mean, then the vision shifted. She turned to see him striding towards him, his helmet glowing red. He walked past her as if she were a ghost, and his knights followed close behind. She stood panting, some part of her wanting to reach out towards them, touch him, bring him back.</p>
<p>Rey raised her arm, and she was a child again, desperately calling after the ship in the sky. It was getting smaller, further, they weren’t coming back, they were never coming back. She screamed and sobbed as Unkar Plutt pulled her away and the ship disappeared into the blackened sun. As she fell to her knees in tears, the wind tore up the sand at her feet, obscuring them from her view and surrounding her in a vortex, then the vision changed again.</p>
<p>            The sand settled into a dense blue fog, and when she stood up, Rey found herself at the edge of a field overlooking the sea. In the distance, she saw the ruins of an enormous metallic structure emerging from the water like the claw of a beast. The wind seemed to whisper her name endlessly, and suddenly her hairs stood on end as she heard the words that she’d heard once before…on Takodana.</p>
<p>            <em>I’ll come back for you sweetheart. I promise.</em></p>
<p>            She spun around, but all she saw was a desolate landscape. The ground beneath her was endlessly fractures, like ice about to give way. The flash of a lightning bolt startled her, and as she turned to its source she found herself standing before a giant stone structure, a black claw emerging from the broken ground. It was a throne, she realized. Some twisted thing meant for a ruler of this dark place . Every part of her being wanted to flee, but she found herself mesmerized by its energy and stepped forward…until she saw the figure sitting at its base. She did not recognize the figure, hooded and shrouded in darkness, but they reeked of darkness and death and decay.</p>
<p>            “Rey,” The figure said, its voice invading her mind like a virus. “Join me. Fulfil your destiny.” She stepped forward, hypnotized, until the shadow lifted, revealing their face.</p>
<p>            That snapped her out of it. She drew her sabre and swung it at the shadows, ready to cut the being at their feet. But then she was standing in the forest again. Starkiller base. Darkness and falling snow surrounding her while she stood, feral, above her foe. She stared at the scarred face of Kylo Ren, her face filling with rage and hatred and Han’s face and memories she never wanted him to uncover.</p>
<p>            The voice whispered into her mind. “Kill him.”</p>
<p>            Rey stepped forward, ready to comply, but then she stopped, hearing a faint beeping behind her. Clarity suddenly hit her, and she returned to Ajan Kloss. She gasped, relieved to see the light and humid green, but then realized that the beeping was coming from nearby. BB-8 was trapped under a fallen tree, calling for help.</p>
<p>            “I’m so sorry!” She gasped, dashing over to the little droid’s side. As she lifted the broken branches and debris, she willed herself to bury the horrible visions. Yet, even as the pair began their journey back to the base, a singular thought continued to plague her mind.</p>
<p>            The figure on the throne…it was her.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>